Automatic leveling system for articulated boom

Details Automatic leveling system for articulated boom Automatic leveling system for articulated boom

1999-09-10

2002-02-26

Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)

Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location

Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication

Construction or agricultural-type vehicle

C701S124000, C280S006153

Reexamination Certificate

active

06351696

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for leveling a base of a boom and conveying pipeline of a fire truck. More particularly, it relates to a device for deploying outriggers and extending them an appropriate distance such that the boom and pipeline is gravitationally level.
One type of fire-fighting device utilizes an articulable boom and conveying pipeline to manipulate the dispensing point of a quenching agent strategically with respect to the source of a fire. An example of such a fire-fighting system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/393,464 filed Sep. 10, 1999 by Burch, et al. entitled “Fire-fighting System Having Improved Flow,” which is assigned to Schwing America, Inc., the assignee of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. Concrete pumping trucks also often operate using an articulable boom for placement of the concrete dispensing point. For safe operation of these types devices, it is important that the vehicle be level. More specifically, the turret or base supporting the maneuverable booms must be gravitationally level. If the turret is not gravitationally level, the boom sections may experience slew (i.e., rotation about a vertical axis) and may undesirably move into an unsafe position or cause damage to the boom or conveying pipeline.
Systems known in the prior art performed gravitational leveling of the turret by manually adjusting the position and force supplied by the outriggers extending from the fire truck. This method, however, was difficult and inefficient as it required an operator to manually move to the site of the outrigger and adjust its position and then return to the fire truck to check level. Manual leveling is an iterative process that can be difficult and time consuming. There is a need in the art for an automatic leveling system for leveling the base of a boom of a fire-fighting vehicle to ensure safe operation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An automatic leveling system for a vehicle used to support an articulable boom and pipeline is disclosed. The automatic leveling system includes outriggers extending out from the vehicle and having a foot that is vertically adjustable with respect to the vehicle. It also includes components for individually adjusting the vertical position of the feet. A tilt sensor is used to sense the position of the vehicle with respect to gravitational level along two coplanar orthogonal axis. A microprocessor is used for receiving signals and calculating the slope of the vehicle with respect to level. The microprocessor also generates a drive signal to drive the components for individually adjusting the vertical position of the feet to level the vehicle.


REFERENCES:
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patent: 5580095 (1996-12-01), Fukumoto
patent: 6050573 (2000-04-01), Kunz
patent: 10-36079 (1998-02-01), None

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